Hope
by sevenofmine
Summary: These are the voyages... of the USS Nadeshda, a 24th century Prometheus class star ship setting of to explore unknown regions in the Gamma Quadrant. It will be focused mainly on its wide range of different characters, but meeting new species and astronomical phenomena will not come too short.
1. Welcome Aboard

**Re-upload of corrected Chapter 1. Thanks to nthFounder for the help.**

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"I have never been to Mars," Renel Tahkeel admitted when the runabout appraoched Utopia Planitia which was in geosynchronous orbit to the red planet.

"How come you only tell me now?", Heex Tel asked surprised. "If you had said something, we could have come here a few days earlier and visited the main colonies."

"I've never been so keen on artificial environments. It's too red." Renel remembered the Bajoran waters that he grew up with.

"Just like Earth's oceans are too blue?" Lieutenant Tel joked.

Before Renel could agree, they had docked at the fleet yard and were asked to leave the runabout. They each picked up their heavy travel bags and entered the station.

"We're supposed to be on board at 14 hundred hours latest. I'd suggest we head there now so that we don't even have the chance to run late," Tel said and re-checked the transfer data on his PADD.

"Agreed," Renel answered, and they headed for the huge information board in the middle of the arrival area. "Transporter pad 4 will beam us aboard the Nadeshda. This way," the Bajoran said and pointed straight ahead.

They arrived at transporter room 4 and were greeted by an old, grey haired Tellarite. "Another two for the Nadeshda? One might think this ship is going to be overcrowded. Maybe that's how they make sure these days that at least some crewmen make it back. Now, off you go onto the pad, I don't have all day."

Renel and Tel looked at each other with an all-saying glance. What else was this Tellarite supposed to do all day but to beam the new members aboard the Prometheus Advanced class vessel? They materialised less than thirty seconds later in transporter room 2 of the Nadeshda.

A tall, human officer with long, brown hair tied in a ponytail greeted them. "I am Commander Davis, First Officer of the USS Nadeshda. Welcome aboard. Your names are?"

"Lieutenant Renel Tahkeel, service number CK-478-534."

"Lieutenant Heex Tel, service number LG-556-318-23."

"You have been assigned to quarters 11-Theta. Are you a couple?"

"Yes, Commander," Tel answered.

"No need to call me Commander as long as we're not on the bridge. Your quarters are on deck 11, Section 2. Each Section has another alphabet assigned to it. You'll get used to it. Just don't befriend anyone of the Klingon alphabet section," the human joked.

"Thank you, Commander," Renel answered with a shy smile.

The Lieutenants nodded and left the transporter room to look for their quarters. The turbo lift was at the end of the corridor and they made it to deck 11 without problems.

"I think we're in Section 1," Renel mentioned as he read the door labels.

Tel activated the computer panel at the wall and opened a cross-section of the ship. "We have to take the left corridor until the end. There starts the Earth-Greek alphabet." They walked for a while before reaching the correct quarter designation. They passed a lot of people who looked as helpless as they did. Half the crew was being re-assigned, so many people were as new as they were.

"I believe on Earth they say, "home sweet home"," Renel said when they had arrived and unlocked the quarters with the code given on their transfer file. The quarters were bigger than they had expected, especially because it was the first time, they would share one. There was living space on the left, an eating table in the back, the bathroom was to the right, and the bedroom to the left.

"I think now it's official," Tel said when he regarded the double bed. They stared at the bed for a while, realising that they were now an official couple officially sharing quarters.

"Let's go introduce ourselves to the Captain," Renel suggested.

The way to any bridge was the easiest to find on a star ship. You simply had to go up with the turbo lifts as far as possible. The bridge was not as dark as on the Intrepid-class ship they had previously served on, and the walls were also kept in a lighter tone of grey. The bridge was big, with the captain's chair in the middle, but empty.

"Are you here to introduce yourselves to the captain? Recent transfers?" a Risian woman at the security console asked. She was small, dark-skinned, but even with the bulky uniform one could see that she was very muscular.

The Bajoran and his half-Efrosian, half-Trill lover nodded.

"He's in his ready room," the woman said. "I'm Lieutenant Commander Taja Gohs, by the way. Chief of Security."

"Lieutenant Heex Tel, new helmsman for the alpha shift," Tel introduced himself.

"Nice, then I'm going to see you on a regular basis."

"And I'm Lieutenant Renel Tahkeel, nurse assigned to Dr Kirx'k," the Bajoran said.

"Then I hope that I won't see you too often," Gohs joked.

Tel and Renel proceeded to the ready room and entered when invited.

"Ah, our new helmsman Lieutenant Tel, and an addition to our medical crew, Lieutenant Renel," Captain th'Zasheelt recognised and stood up. "At ease," he added. Th'Zasheelt was a tall Andorian identifying with he/him pronouns in languages based on two main genders. His hair had a touch of grey instead of white, and his eyes looked tired because of his age, but were misleading because he was a fit as he had been when first assigned to the Nadeshda.

"I'm Captain th'Zasheelt and welcome you aboard the USS Nadeshda."

"Thank you, Sir," the two officers replied in canon.

"Is it your first time aboard a Prometheus Advanced class vessel?"

They nodded.

"In comparison to the previous Prometheus class, our ship is bigger, accommodates more civilian personnel, and puts new emphasis on leisure activities. We have a theatre, whose production group you may join, and a botanist garden cared for by volunteers. Our ship is the first in a long time for a deep space mission which allows family on board. For my taste, we've had enough war times in the past decades. Were you around for the Dominion war and the Borg Invasion? You look pretty young."

"I had only just left pre-school when the war reached the interior planets," Renel explained.

"And I transferred to Secondary School the year the war ended," Tel admitted.

"My God, I think I am beginning to be old," the Captain answered with a smile. "Now we can finally be explorers again. We're set to depart at 19 hundred hours to the Bajoran wormhole. There is a welcome party in the messhole at 20 hundred hours tonight and I expect to see you there. Shifts begin tomorrow morning for you. You're both in alpha shift if I remember correctly."

They nodded and were dismissed. Until departure time, the couple discovered the ship and met other crewmen who had also just been transferred to the exploratory vessel. Renel left the group for a while to greet his new superior officer, a Denobulan Doctor called Vrez Kirx'k. Kirx'k was a round person, not only his body, but his face as well. He was busy shooing some repair technicians around in sickbay when Renel entered.

"Ah, you should be the new nurse I ordered," Renel was greeted by the Doctor. "I'm Doctor Kirx'k, recently promoted to chief medic. You'll find a lot of recently promoted personnel aboard. Advantages of many people leaving or retiring. Starfleet wanted fresh faces for this long-term mission. I am looking forward to it. Where had you been assigned to before?"

"The USS McCoy, an Intrepid class vessel."

"Oh, then you are already familiar with the emergency medical hologram. I won't activate him now, he hates doing introductions. Were you also on a long-term mission or just cruising the Alpha Quadrant?"

Renel quickly learnt that Denobulans were a very talkative species. He kept his answers short enough to still be polite and luckily found a way to excuse himself when one of the repair technicians asked Doctor Kirx'k to shut down the power to several instruments.

=/\=

Lieutenants Renel and Tel arrived at the welcome party about ten minutes later than the official beginning. They had not expected the messhole to be so spacious. It reminded Tel on Ten Forward which he had seen in the Enterprise holo-museum on Earth. The 22nd century Bolian music eased the atmosphere, and crewmen both new and old to the crew gathered with syntheholic and alcoholic beverages in their hands.

Lieutenant Commander Gohs spotted the new colleagues and waved them over to the table where she was sitting with first officer Commander Davis and a yet to Renel and Tel unknown red-uniform with pointy ears.

"Sit down. You know our First Officer Jenna Davis, and this is our Tactical and Weapons officer Adeeran Jo-Al," Lt Cmdr Gohs explained. "Jenna, Adeeran, these are our new helmsman Heex Tel," she said and pointed to the Efrosian-Trill, "and nurse Renel Tahkeel," padding the Bajoran on the shoulder who had just sat down next to her.

"Is it true that Bajorans have their last name first?" Lt Cmdr Jo-Al asked.

"Yes, indeed. My first name is Tahkeel," the Bajoran explained.

"Some sub-cultures on many planets have the same tradition," Cmdr Davis added. "It is common among Earth-Chinese people."

"Talking about traditions," Gohs picked up the topic, "you were telling us whether or not you considered switching pins," the security officer asked the First Officer.

Cmdr Davis smiled, looking at the small, miniaturised version of the Starfleet triangle logo pinned next to her communicator. "No, I think it would just confuse people."

"I'm sorry, but what does this pin mean? I have only seen very few officers wearing one" Renel asked curiously.

"These pins state the pronouns of our gender and corresponding preferred pronouns in English Federation standard," Cmdr Davis stated. "They are normally worn by species with more or less than two genders. Even though we have been recognising more than two gender identities on Earth for centuries now, our language somehow hasn't been able to adapt. The colours were chosen randomly, though, to avoid discrimination or stereotypes. My pin is French lime for female. I use she and her as pronouns. He and him is mint and they, them is thulian pink. There are also different forms of pins. I chose the general Starfleet insignia. You will also find adapted Starfleet insignia for Engineering, Tactical, and Science. The UFP logo is also allowed, as well as representations for each species."

"Oh, I see," Renel said. "This is actually quite useful."

"It is interesting how a planet that has accepted more than two gender identifications as well as fluid gender identifications for centuries has not managed to come up with proper pronouns yet," Lt Cmdr Jo-Al observed.

"Aderaan grew up on Andor where they have four natural genders," the Risian Gohs explained.

Both Renel and Tel looked confused.

Jo-Al noticed and began to explain, "my forehead ridges are not very prominent so many people assume I am a Vulcan with an odd skin colour." His skin looked indeed too green-grey to pass him off as a Vulcan. "I was born on Chaltok V, a planet within Romulan space. The Dominion attacked my homeworld when I was four. The Federation came to help but they could not do much. I lost my parents and was then adopted by a Vulcan-Andorian couple who could not have kids on their own. That's why I grew up on Andor."

There was a silence when neither Renel nor Tel knew how to respond.

"After the Dominion War had ended, I had hoped that the Romulan Star Empire and the Federation would come to a longer-lasting peace. The time of the Tzenkethi War was not the best for a Romulan growing up deep in Federation space."

"But now you are here, and we are glad that you are," Lt Cmdr Gohs said and put her hand on Jo-Al. He gave a shy smile which proved that he definitely was not Vulcan.

"Talking about growing up," Cmdr Davis said, "where did you grow up, on Efrosia or Trill?" she asked Lt Tel.

"Neither. I was born on Centauri VII but moved with my parents to Bajor for re-construction efforts after the occupation when I was 4. Tahkeel and I know each other since high school, and we went together to the Academy. It was only on our last assignment on the USS McCoy that we became our couple."

"Oh wow," Gohs replied with a grin. "That did indeed take you a while."

"What about you all? Any of you taken?"

The three of them shook their heads.

"Though we do ship Adeeran and K'Deel," Gohs said with a laughter.

"K'Deel is the most annoying person on this ship… the whole quadrant," Jo-Al replied and rolled his eyes while sipping a blue liquor.

"He is Vulcan," Gohs explained. "And they hate each other's guts."

"Speaking of the devil," Cmdr Davis said and waved to a Vulcan who had just entered the messhole.

He sat down next to her. "This is our chief engineer, Lieutenant K'Deel," she introduced him, and then added, "these are two new additions to our crew. Helmsman Heex Tel and his partner nurse Renel Tahkeel."

"It is acceptable to meet you," the Vulcan replied. His skin was rather ochre, with small eyes and black hair.

"Nice to meet you, too," Tel said.

Gohs took over the word again, "K'Deel is from the Vulcan island of Zatara. It has the most beautiful nature. In contrast to Vulcan mainland, there are many flowers and trees."

"Lieutenant Gohs visited my hometown several weeks ago for a security training. It does indeed have a richer flora and fauna than the mainland. The soil, however, is still red due to its rich iron content. And before you ask, yes, all the people on this island have eyes like mine. It is as natural as on the Andorian continent Geshon, the Bolian countries of North-Taloonga or East Asia on Earth," Lt Cmdr K'Deel said.

"I wasn't going to ask, but thank you for the information," Renel replied.

A barkeeper approached the group. Tel, Renel, and K'Deel all ordered beverages. When the Andorian barkeeper left, Cmdr Davis informed them: "This is Zenta zh'Zasheelt, one of the bonding partners of Captain th'Zasheelt."

"Oh, I had no idea his family was on board," Renel said surprised.

"His Shen-bonding mate is a kindergarten teacher and his Chan-bonding mate is a warp core specialist. Their two children, a thaan and a chan, are also aboard," K'Deel informed them.

"I wonder if I would want my children aboard a starship when I have some," Gohs wondered out aloud.

"We're an exploratory vessel," Jo-Al reminded her.

"Yes, but we're flying into regions of space we don't know much about. We are surely going to encounter species that are not so friendly," Renel countered.

"The Galaxy class star ships were the first to allow civilian family members on board. Crew efficiency rose by 23%," K'Deel reminded them.

"But then the wars broke out. First the Dominion, then the Borg, the Tzenkethi coalition. We're living in uncertain times," Jo-Al said.

"Let's put aside all uncertainties and be hopeful for our exploratory mission at hand," Cmdr Davis said and rose her glass. "To the discovery of unknown region of space and new first contacts."

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	2. To the Gamma Quadrant

Chapter 2

The first shift as the helmsman of the USS Nadeshda was uneventful for the Efrosian-Trill Heex Tel. The system software of the Prometheus class ship was more advanced than that of the Intrepid class ship he had served on before. Captain th'Zasheelt let him play around with the functions and test maneuvers on their way to the wormhole so that he could get familiar with the ticks and tricks of the vessel.

Captain th'Zasheelt was a very calm persona who made everyone feel comfortable in their positions. He was confident, and this confidence rubbed off on the rest of the crew. Commander Davis made the same impression on Tel as the first two times he had met her: She was a nice person, seemed to get well along with everyone, and Tel was sure that she could perfectly work as a bridge between Captain and crew.

Regarding the Romulan tactical officer Aderaan Jo-Al, Tel was not sure what to think. He sometimes appeared to be as stiff as a Vulcan, but during a combative simulation he showed the aggressivity of a Klingon. The security officer Taja Gohs, however, seemed to be at ease around him. Tel learnt that she was only 28 years old, but already running security for several months. She was small, and he was sure that everyone who underestimated her would pay the price. She and Jo-Al met three times a week for martial arts training, and the Efrosian-Trill would love to see a combat between them.

The only other addition to the alpha crew he had not met the previous night was Tung Ch'rash, a half Ktarian, half Hekaran female, young, tall, and blonde. She was only 22 and had just come from the Academy at Psi Epsilon III. The Nadeshda was her first assignment and she was accordingly nervous. Captain th'Zasheelt was patient and understanding with her, and Tel wished his first Captain would have been so nice when he had been a freshman.

After shift, he went straight for dinner with Lt Cmdrs Gohs and Jo-Al. Despite the tensions between the Romulan and the Vulcan, K'Deel joined them at their table. Tel looked out for his partner but could not spot him anywhere. Maybe he was already doing overtime on his first day. Despite the replicator restaurant on Deck 14, the spacious messhole had its own cook, a distinctiveness to most other ships he knew about. He enjoyed the variety of meals the cook would offer over the weeks but wondered what kind of food would be served once they had left Federation space. Tonight's special was an Andorian soup that had the viscosity of Earth-honey.

Afterwards, Tel decided to go for a meeting the theatre group held tonight. He had never played theatre before, but what Cmdr Davis had told him yesterday intrigued him. He sure wanted to join activities on the ship to get to know people, and what would be better than an interactive theatre group?

The only person he knew was Cmdr Davis, but he also recognised the Denobulan Doctor Kirx'k and an Andorian who he was told was the Shen-bonding partner of the Captain. Tonight all the group did, however, was to welcome the new arrivals, talk about previous shows they had done and showed an interpretation of the middle age piece of "An evening in F'Zor", a Tellarite love story by one of the planet's most acclaimed authors of their 3rd century – equalling the 15th century on Earth. It seemed strange to Tel, even as open-minded as he had grown up – as a hybrid on a completely foreign planet at the border of Federation space. Within the next weeks, the group would look at possible material for a new show, and the topic they had though of was to be oppression and the end of discrimination, something all Federation species had surpassed.

Tel arrived late at his quarters and went straight to bed where he found Renel reading a PADD-book.

"Exhausting day?" Tel asked.

Renel nodded and put the PADD away. "Doctor Kirx'k is nice and all, but very, very tiring. But my colleagues are really nice. They invited me out for a holodeck adventure to get to know the new faces. We played a human game called 'paint-ball' in the forests of Tellar. It was quite funny. What about you?"

"I joined the theatre group, and we are now supposed to look for new plays to interpret."

With that, Tel doze off. He had not realised how tired he had actually been.

=/\=

"Oh, and Tarla ordered some orchids. She thought that we needed more violet flowers in the garden," Gohs said when she and Davis left the turbolift.

"Aren't orchids white?" Captain th'Zasheelt interfered. As expected, he was already on the bridge long before the rest of the alpha shift arrived.

"Maybe on your planet," Davis replied and sat down on the chair next to him. Gohs replaced the security officer of the night shift.

"We definitely need more colours," Gohs continued. "I hope we find new species in the gamma quadrant we can add to our garden. Did you hear that K'Deel wanted to offer meditation lessons in there? I think it's a good idea."

"Definitely sounds like something I am going to try," the Andorian replied and watched the rest of the alpha shift arrive.

"You are the last person who needs to become calmer on this ship," Davis laughed. She admired the Captain for his inner tranquillity, especially with two teenage sons aboard. "When will the orchids arrive?"

"The barkeeper on DS9 says we can pick them up when we're docking at the station. We're also supposed to get another weapon supply," Gohs informed her.

"I thought our mission is one of peace?" Tel said intrigued.

"We might think that. But there might be some member planets of the Dominion that don't like to see an "exploratory" mission by the people they lost the war against," Jo-Al replied.

The next two weeks until they arrived at Deep Space Nine were uneventful regarding the space around them. Therefore, Captain th'Zasheelt had ordered combat training for the crew to get to know each other and be prepared for any situation they might encounter out there. Tel was also glad that the theatre group was a very diverse and social space where he met people from all parts of the ship. He also joined Lt Cmdr Gohs for lessons in Mok'bara she taught for non-Security crewmen interested in the Klingon type of martial arts. By the time they had arrived at the station, Zenta Zh'Zasheelt had also opened up a minor betting pool on the evening sessions of the table game Kal-toh that K'deel and Jo-Al occasionally played in the messhole – and regularly attracted many spectators.

Deep Space Nine II was as impressive as the first one had been. Renel remembered how awkward it had felt to hear of the news that DS9 had been destroyed. It had been erected by Bajoran labour workers and been a constant reminder of the occupation. But it had also stood for hope and reconstruction of Bajor, not at last because it had been home to the Emissary for a long time. Therefore, Renel was quite happy to return to his home system and its new star base, even if he had no time to visit Bajor this time.

The USS Nadeshda only spent two days docked at DS9 II, so the time for shore leave was limited. While living on Bajor, he and Tel had often visited DS9 as it was only a few hours away from the planet's capital.

=/\=

"I have never seen a wormhole with my own eyes," Ensign Ch'rash murmured when the Bajoran wormhole opened in front of them.

"It's astonishing, isn't it?" Lt Cmdr Gohs said, her eyes glowing by the sight of the beautiful astronomical phenomenon.

They entered the yellow light surrounded by blue waves. Suddenly, the view screen flared up with blue and white flashes. It lasted only for a few minutes in which Renel had no idea what the sensor readings told him. He did not like flying blind. But then they had already returned to normal space.

"Welcome in the Gamma Quadrant," Cmdr Davis said.

"We've got our sensors back," Lt Tel informed them.

"Good. Set a course for 64284.3 and engage with Warp 6. We should arrive at the Chamra Vortex in twenty-five hours. The nebula has been mapped before, but apparently there is a trading station on a planet within the nebula. We will try to get star charts for the regions that lie ahead of us," Captain Th'Zasheelt explained.

"The only ships that had been in this region were the Defiant during the war and the USS Surak that laid the foundation for the scientific exploration of the Gamma Quadrant," Cmdr Davis added.

At that moment, the doors of the turbo lift opened, and the first replacements for the alpha shift entered. Gohs and Jo-Al left the bridge together. "I know we're due to meet in the dojo this evening, but how would you like to train in the botanic gardens instead? There is this wide grass area where K'deel held his meditation practice yesterday. I missed you there, by the way," she said and ordered the turbolift to deck 11.

"Lieutenant Wei introduced me to the human sport of boxing. It is quite fascinating and less disciplined than Vulcan sports or human martial arts. But I am not prejudiced against Vulcan meditation, even though no such discipline was part of my education," Jo-Al responded.

"Did you grow up rather with Andorian rituals?"

"Neither of my parents were traditionalists. They did not want me to follow certain Vulcan or Andorian traditions, just because they adopted me. They allowed me to find out for myself what I wanted. I learnt about Vulcan philosophy and played Ushaan with other children in school. But my parents made sure I would learn Romulan and become familiar with their – my culture."

"Wow, that is a very open-minded approach."

"And I am thankful for that. Regarding your other question: Sure, I'd like to train with you in the botanical gardens. Have you planted the orchids yet?"

"No, I wanted to do that before we met."

"I have finished another two flower pots in the last three weeks and wanted to see whether they could be of use for you."

"Bring them along then. One day you'll need to instruct me in pottery."

"It is quite simple."

"Not for someone with the motoric skills of a Risian walrus." The turbolift halted and Gohs got out. "I'll see you at 19.30 in the botanical garden then?"

"Yes," Jo-Al said and gave a short smile – something a Romulan was probably only capable of if he had not grown up within the Star Empire.

=/\=

Commander Davis had hesitated to go to sleep because she knew that she wanted to be up when they arrived at the planet in the Chamra Vortex. She decided to try to repeat the meditation lesson of K'Deel from the previous day, but without success. When she at last gave in and had a nap on the sofa, it felt like she had only just dozen off when Lieutenant Commander Chagorg from the night shift hailed her.

"I'm on my way," she replied to the Tellarite-in-charge of the gamma shift. Less than ten minutes later she entered the bridge and supressed a yawning. Chagorg stood up and let her take a seat in the Captain's chair while he sat down at her usual place.

"We're now entering orbit of Chamra Alpha," Ensign Sima reported. The young Caitian helmsman had only just graduated and like Ensign Tung Ch'rash, this was the first deep space mission for her. Secretly, she was glad to be part of the night shift as she felt far too nervous to serve during ship's daytime.

"Open greeting frequencies and tell them we would like to beam down."

"They said we are welcome at any time," Chagorg read off the console beside him a little while later.

"Good. I'll inform the Captain and prepare an away team who will beam down in the morning," Cmdr Davis said and left the bridge again. As soon as she arrived in her quarters, she sent the Captain a message and suggested an away team consisting of Lt Cmdr Gohs, Lt Cmdr K'Deel, as well as two of Gohs' security officers, Lieutenants Telak and ch'Hachehl. She did not expect a response so quickly, but the second she had stepped into bed, her plan was approved by the Captain.

=/\=

"I thought your quarters were on deck 13," Lt Cmdr Gohs greeted her colleague Lieutenant Hark Telak, the first Cardassian who had joined Starfleet.

He gave a shy smile.

"Who is it?" Gohs asked with a smirk.

Telak hesitated. "If I tell you the whole ship will know it."

"Sure, it will," Gohs confirmed.

Telak sighed. "I spent the night in Commander Zoud's quarters." Gohs shook her head, indicating she did not know who Telak was talking about. "The xenobiologist we picked up on Trill a few weeks ago?"

"Ah, the Betazoid. Isn't it weird she can read your emotions?"

"It is… it brings a new level to our relationship," Telak admitted. Actually, it was refreshing to share intimacy with a Betazoid. Telak had not had an easy time as a Cardassian at Starfleet Academy only 20 years after the end of the war. People tended not to forget, and even though xenophobia was officially no issue in the Federation, it did not apply to every course mate he had met at the Academy. He had been bullied and lost much of his self-confidence, so he was glad he could now share his pain with someone. And he felt easier around Hera Zoud than the ship's counsellor Tir, who was also a Betazoid and used her skills as an advantage during their sessions.

They arrived in the transporter room where Lieutenant ch'Hachehl and Lt Cmdr K'Deel were already waiting for them.

"Remember, phasers on stun and we are just friendly people from the neighbour quadrant," Gohs said and stepped on the transporter platform, knowingly ignoring the Vulcan's eyebrow raise.

They beamed down to one of the arrival platforms of the station. The planet was class M, but its atmosphere was thin, and the surface reached temperature around 20 degrees centigrade below zero. They walked along a green-walled corridor and entered an area that resembled a 21st century Russian market place. It was a huge space with a high ceiling, and stands were squeezed in lines. Species that they had never seen before were trading, shouting, bargaining, and discussing.

"We need star charts and any sort of information of the region. K'Deel would also like some cortenide for wall decorations in Engineering," Gohs instructed the away team.

"Transduction plating," Lt Cmdr K'Deel corrected her.

"I suggest we split up and meet here in an hour. Only gather information and offers. Tell them we will come back to strike a deal. Telak, you're with me."

Gohs and Telak headed left, while K'Deel and ch'Hachehl headed right. They passed and apologised to people and looked around what each of the vendors had to offer. After more than an hour, they came to a corner of the place.

"I had not imagined this place to be so big," Telak noted.

"It's the central structure of the capital. I assume the rest of the city is dead in comparison to this lively place. Look, there," Gohs said and pointed to a vendor with only a table instead of a stand. He displayed several kinds of stones. The two security officers came closer and regarded the silvery shining material.

"Cortenide-magnesium complex," the vendor said. His own translator was not as good as the Federation one, but it did its job. "We sell a lot. Mined here. You interested?"

Gohs nodded. "Where can I buy it?"

"Walk this way," he said and pointed towards a darkly lit corridor on the left to him. "Follow signs that show this." He now pointed at a sign next to the stone samples. There were three signs that Gohs identified as unidentifiable letters. "You will get to mine. There you can buy."

Gohs thanked, but first met with the rest of the group. The other two crewmen had been successful in finding a Rigellian who sold star charts. The group of four went to see him again and traded two bio gel-packs for the maps. Lt ch'Hachehl stayed behind to complete the trade.

The other three officers proceeded in the direction that the Cortenide vendor had indicated. They soon found themselves descending a spiral staircase that led them below the planet surface. None of them said a word until they had reached solid ground under their feet again. They ended up in a small cave with a desk near to a metal door. A corpulent and beardy man of a to them unknown species stood up behind the desk. His head nearly touched the ceiling.

"I am Lieutenant Commander Gohs from the Federation star ship Nadeshda. We are here because we would like to buy cortenide," the Risian introduced them.

The man nodded. "I am Mining Leader Gep. We mine a cortenide-magnesium complex down here. Follow me." He proceeded to the metal door and opened it by pulling the heavy-looking entrance aside. The cave corridor was as badly lit as everything else and they had to take care of where they were stepping in order not to bump into each other.

They soon reached larger caves where they could see sweaty and dirty aliens picking the walls, transporting stones into waggons, and installing more lights on the ceiling. None of them looked particularly happy with their work, but no one complained, either.

"Irda," Gep shouted. A shadow from the far end of the cave stood up and approached them. When she came closer, Gohs recognised Irda as a Vorta clone. She had always wondered what had happened to the trustworthy servants of the Founders, but this mine was the last place she expected to meet one.

"How much cortenide do you need?" Gep barked.

"Fifty kilograms will do," K'Deel said.

"What do you use to pay? Platinum? Biomimetic gel?" Gep asked.

"We could offer you twenty grams of platinum or several kilos of nesorium. We also have paricium and osmium on board," K'Deel started listing, but Gep interrupted, "five kilos of nesorium sound reasonable."

Gohs turned to K'Deel. "Will you climb upstairs, beam back to our ship and prepare everything for the trade, please?"

The Vulcan nodded and left.

Gep also returned back to his desk, he looked as if he had been standing for far too long for his taste.

Gohs and Telak followed Irda deeper into the mine to a storage of cortenide blocks.

"You are a Vorta, aren't you?" Telak asked.

She nodded. "And you a Cardassian. Your people betrayed the Dominion."

"I was one year old when the war ended. And it was your people who had started the war."

"I was also one year old when the war ended," Irda replied, not answering on Telak's obviously hurting remark.

"How come you are working here now?" Gohs intervened before the two of them could exchange any more hostilities.

"Gep captured me while I was doing negotiation talks."

"You mean, you are enslaved here?" Gohs asked.

Irda nodded.

"What about everyone else?" Telak wanted to know.

"Most of them are paid. Badly paid, but enough to survive. I am not paid."

Telak looked at Gohs with a demanding glance. "We should do something about it?"

"Prime directive."

"They are not an underdeveloped species."

"But they are foreign. We are foreigners here. We have no right to interfere."

"What if she asks for asylum? She was kidnapped and forced to work on mines!"

Irda looked at Telak with a strange look. "Your people are my enemies. Why would you want to help me?"

"Neither of us is responsible for what our people did in the past. You are just an enslaved person in the need for shelter. What was your job in the Dominion? Did you lead the war, like other clones?"

She shook her head. The long, white hair fell onto the shoulders. "I am a negotiator-clone. All I do is trade negotiations with other planets within Dominion space."

Gohs sighed. "This will be trouble," she muttered but knew they had to help her. "The transporters cannot locate us this far below the surface, right?" she said to Telak.

He nodded.

"Where do you sleep at night?" Gohs asked.

"Here in the mines."

"Here?" she asked surprised and looked around. The ground was dirty, and the air was dusty. She then turned to Telak. "You know what I am thinking?"

"That this is the perfect opportunity to test the cloaking suits that we received on Utopia Planitia?"

Gohs smiled. "Listen to me, Irda. We will help you, okay? I will talk to our Captain. We will get you out of here, I promise."


	3. Beyond the wormhole

Chapter 3

"You promised her?" Captain th'Zasheelt repeated. He was calm and controlled, he hadn't even raised his voice. He paused to think about it.

He had gathered the senior staff in the conference room when the away team had returned from the surface. Next to the Captain sat First Officer Davis, Security Officer Gohs, Doctor Kirx'k, and on the other side Chief Engineer Lt Cmdr K'Deel, Tactical Officer Lt Cmdr Jo-Al, helmsman Lt Tel, and Lt Cmdr Guez Tarin, an unjoined Trill material scientist who filled the post of chief science officer and representative of the scientists aboard the USS Nadeshda.

Lt Cmdr Gohs knew she had gone too far, but she stood by her word. "She has been enslaved by Gep, the mining leader. She is being held against her will. Isn't it our duty to help her?"

"And what about everyone else who is being held down there? Should our first action in unknown territory be a terrorist act on a society we don't know?" the Captain responded. But by the pause after his two questions it was clear that he was thinking about her demand.

The security officer did not respond.

"The prime directive does not apply here," K'Deel came to a surprising help. "The Vorta specifically asked Lieutenant Gohs for help and for asylum aboard our ship. It is our duty to intervene when encountered with such an injustice."

"And no one has to know it was us," Jo-Al agreed. It was not uncommon for the Vulcan and the Romulan to agree, even though they hardly ever looked at each other when in the conference room.

"You are thinking about the experimental cloaking suits?" Cmdr Davis asked.

Jo-Al nodded.

"How well have they been tested?" Captain th'Zasheelt wanted to know from the science officer.

Lt Cmdr Tarin was slightly nervous to be suddenly involved in the conversation. "Er… I have been testing them on the ship for the past two weeks. The fact that none of you have noticed so makes me rather confident that they are working. However, we have only finished two suits that you can take down to the planet."

"Lieutenant Gohs, you have volunteered for the mission," the Captain decided. "You will accompany Lieutenant K'Deel to his exchange trade with Gep while wearing the suit and carrying the second one. You have to find this Vorta and bring her back."

"The difficult thing will be sneaking through the door that divides the base corridors from the mining entrance," Gohs said. "We will have to make sure you don't bump into me," she added to K'Deel.

"I think I have something for that," Doctor Kirx'k mentioned. Everyone turned their heads. "You see, since the invention of the VISOR, viewing aids have become much smaller and compact. I have contact lenses in sickbay which can give rudimentary heat sensing or IR-light visibility. I would not recommend using them for more than an hour though. There are some minor side effects that have not been fixed yet."

"Then that is settled. Lieutenant K'Deel, you accompany the Doctor to sickbay. Once you are ready, you and Lieutenant Gohs beam down to the planet with five kilograms nesorium to close the trade deal with this miner Gep. Dismissed." The Captain stood up and everyone else was leaving the room. Cmdr Davis stayed.

Captain th'Zasheelt sat down in his chair again. "Jenna?"

She leaned forward. "You've heard about Kal?" she asked.

Th'Zasheelt nodded. "It's not the first time he's had trouble in school."

"It's the first time he personally insulted a teacher."

The Captain nodded. "We've talked with him yesterday. The problem is that all four of us parents are working. We thought it would get better now that our children are with us and all four of us are serving on the same ship, but he's gotten into even more fights with his brother since then."

"Have you had him talk to the Counsellor?"

"He's refusing to," Captain th'Zasheelt admitted.

"What about asking someone who is not a counsellor? An authority figure who might have some influence. More influence than his parents. I know that what my parents always wanted was automatically what I wanted to do the least." Cmdr Davis smiled, trying to build her superior up. She knew how important family was to him, and how hard it was when he felt like failing them.

"Who are you thinking about?"

"K'Deel could appeal to Kal's calmer side. Jo-Al could help him if he appears aggressive. He could do martial arts with him. I think Kal would rather respect a man than a woman."

The Captain nodded. "I'll talk to Jo-Al. But first I want this Vorta aboard and us as far away from this nebula as possible." With that he stood up and left the room.

=/\=

Lt Cmdr Gohs was well-trained and went to the gym each day before her shift, but still she felt the weight as she carried both the environmental suit she was wearing and the one in her arms. She felt weirdly disconnected from the real world as all she heard was her own breathing and everything else coming from loud speakers within the helmet. Her sight was restricted, so she stumbled after Lt Cmdr K'Deel who glided far more elegantly through the underground cave system.

As soon as K'Deel met Gep for the exchange of goods, Gohs left him and continued on her own. She managed to evade the workers, and luckily no one paid attention when she accidentally pushed a mining tool to the ground. She found Irda at the same place she had been working before. She tapped her back, and the Vorta turned around, looking confused.

"It is me, Lt Cmdr Gohs from the Federation. I am wearing an invisibility suit. I have come to help you," Gohs whispered.

The Vorta was hesitant as she could still see nothing. Gohs opened her helmet front cover, revealing her face. She closed it quickly after as the whole suit started shifting in and out of the visible spectrum.

Irda looked around anxiously, but no one had noticed. "Follow me," she said, and Gohs followed her to a part of the cave where no other people could be watching.

Gohs decloaked the second suit. "Put it on," she demanded, and helped Irda get into costume.

"It's heady," Irda panted.

"I know, it won't be for long," Gohs said and shut her helmet. "The IR view in the helmet should be activated. Can you see my suit?"

"Vaguely."

"Good. Follow me and don't run into anyone."

Gohs walked past her and returned to the main tunnel. She could hear the prominent voice of Gep in the distance and used it as an orientation. Otherwise she would have been long lost down here.

Around the next corner she watched K'Deel shaking both of Gep's hands. Apparently, that was how you finalised a treaty around here. She stumbled across him and caught K'Deel's attention for a second.

K'Deel already turned to the door and opened it when Gohs heard the sound of metal shattering to the ground. She turned around and saw how Irda was lying on the floor and Gep was standing right before her, startled, as he could not see what his massive body had bumped against. K'Deel, still standing in the open door, stepped aside and signalled Gohs to help the Vorta up.

She ran over to her, hieved her up and tore her towards the exit which K'Deel was holding open.

"What was that?" Gep shouted.

K'Deel raised an eyebrow and looked at him with a blank expression.

Gep looked around, angrily. He then turned to the Vulcan. "You, Starfleet!"

"I have no idea what you are referring to, Sir."

"Liar," Gep took a phaser off his holster. "I was told before that Starfleet would only bring trouble, but I still invited you to the negotiation table. And what are you doing? Betraying me! What is it you're stealing? Was our treaty not good enough? Do you want more?"

When threatened by an alien twice the size and holding a phaser, even a Vulcan's diplomacy ended. K'Deel, knowing that Lt Cmdr Gohs and the Vorta had reached the staircase, stepped through the door and locked it from the outside. It would not hold of Gep for long but maybe bought him the time he needed to climb upstairs.

The Engineer hadn't even reached the last step when the transporter beam caught him. He stumbled forwards and down the transporter platform on the Nadeshda. Luckily, the Rigellian transporter chief Medlox Rix caught him just in time.

"Thank you," K'Deel said when he stood upright again. He saw Lt Cmdr Gohs just helping Irda out of her environmental suit.

"I've told Captain th'Zasheelt to go to warp," she explained. "I've also mentioned that we might not have won new friends today."


	4. First contact with new species

Chapter 4

Lt Cmdr Jo-Al knew it would be a challenging task when he met the young Andorian for the first time. Kal was of average height in contrast to his older brother who was very tall for his age. Kal's antennae nearly always pointed forward, which was not necessarily a sign for passive aggression or rejection, but rather intense attention and concentration. No wonder he was always on edge, Jo-Al thought.

"Kal, I am Lieutenant Commander Jo-Al," he introduced himself. "I think you know why you are here?" He had stayed awake long last night in bed, thinking about how to best approach the issue at hand. How do you handle a rebel teenage boy of a different species – or of any species? He, too, had rebelled at this age. He had had a difficult time at school, surrounded my mostly Andorians. He was regarded as a traitor, as if he would never fit in. He had rebelled against his own parents in return, rejecting them for a while because he wanted Romulan parents. He felt as if no one understood him, just because he looked differently. Only five months at a Vulcan monastery had led him to accept his physiology, his mind, and his individuality. He had grown in confidence, and once he had returned to Andor and was sent to a different school, the increased self-esteem had made it easier to handle his classmates. And the fact that he himself was different, more mature, had let the classmates also react less negatively.

"We are both here because my dad told us so."

"He says you've been having trouble at school."

The boy looked around, but in the holodeck, there was not much to look at. He wondered what kind of program they would run.

"Is your problem one with authority, does it have to do with your classmates, with you being the son of the captain, or with you being locked up in a star ship far from home and your friends?" Jo-Al chuckled, something he usually refrained from. "I know that there are plenty of reasons for you to be angry – or to be sad. It is also alright if you don't know what is going on inside you and if you don't want to talk about it right now. For today, I thought less talking would be best."

"Then what is it we are going to do the whole time?" the Andorian asked challenging.

Jo-Al smiled. He knew that the best method would be to be nice to the boy. He would get enough pressure from his parents and teachers already.

"Computer, load program Jo-Al 5-vita," he ordered. The holo-simulation appeared around them. They found themselves in a cave of maybe 5 metres in all direction and an underground sea on one side. The rocks were illuminated by a crackling bonfire near the water.

"Your dad told you to wear sports clothes. But I recommend you to take off the jacket and shoes. They are too heavy. You can bind the shoes around your neck." He showed him how.

"I thought we were going to do some Romulan martial arts or something," the Andorian said.

"We will. Later. First, we need to get out of this cave." Jo-Al pointed at the sea. "We will swim to the other side of the wall. There is an underwater hole a metre below the surface. Don't worry, the holodeck safety is on. Once we are outside, we will jog to the martial arts training camp."

While Kal was binding the shoes around his neck, he asked, "where did you get this holoprogram? Is it like a Starfleet cadet training one?"

Jo-Al shook his head. "I programmed it myself. It combines memories I have from different places. This cave is Vulcan, but the landscape you'll see outside is actually a touristic spot on Trill." With that, he jumped into the water, dived deeply and had already crossed half the lake with one swim stroke. "Are you coming?" he teased the Andorian.

Kal hesitated, but then jumped – less elegantly – into the water as well. It was warmer than he had expected and from within the water, it seemed to have a rather turquoise touch. He followed Jo-Al to the wall.

"Now, take three long breaths in and out. With the fourth, you hold your breath and dive through the hole. The rock shimmers greenly underwater, so you will see where to swim. Just follow me."

He had been right; the rock turned the hole into a greenish colour. Even though Kal had sometimes accompanied his father to diplomatic missions on different worlds, he had never seen something as simple and as beautiful as this. He nearly wanted to stay there and appreciate the view. But less than a few seconds later, he emerged from the water and was greeted by an even more spectacular view. The sea ended a few metres in front of him, and they appeared to be on a heightened platform at a mountain side. Down there was a whole village to be seen in a valley surrounded by mountains at all sides. Some of them even had snow tops.

Kal followed Jo-Al out of the water. The air was warm and dry, so his clothes would hopefully dry soon.

"Put your shoes back on. We will now go to the village down there," he pointed into the valley. "But we'll not go the direct way."

"Not the direct way?," Kal asked, but the Romulan had already set off. His shoes were squeaky as they were soaked. And he found out what Jo-Al had meant earlier than he would have wanted – they first had to go up before they went down. After just fifteen minutes of undulating ascent, he was soaked again – but this time in sweat.

"Can we stop?" he panted.

"No, we can't. I want you to get all your power reserves to work," Jo-Al said without the slightest breathing problem. Kal followed him, but his breath became louder and louder. The more Kal complained, the happier Jo-Al got. This was all a part of his technique.

When they arrived at the village entry gate, Jo-Al stopped and Kal dropped himself on the stone floor.

"I can't continue," he muttered.

"Good," Jo-Al concluded. He helped the Andorian up and taught him how to stretch. "We are done for today. I want you back here tomorrow at the same time."

Kal nodded and left. His mouth was dry, and he needed water. Back in his quarters, he ignored his fathers' questioning looks and went straight to the replicator where he drank half a litre.

"Did you learn something with Jo-Al today?" his chan-father Ke'oult wanted to know.

"We just swam and jogged. I need a shower," Kal said, and after having done so, he fell into his bed where it did not take him long to doze off.

=/\=

Irda could not complain about her treatment. After she had been rescued by the Starfleet alien, she had been given quarters and clothes to wear. She had been free to eat and sleep. The quarters were clean and spacious, everything that the work camp on the Chamra asteroid had not been.

She did not know any Federation food, so she had the replicator create a typical human breakfast for her. She had not known that Earth seemed to be split in different cultures, as the replicator had asked for "country or culture specifications". She had ended up with a bowl of noodles. She had never tasted anything alike but did also not have the experience to judge whether she liked it or not.

After a timespan she could not identify, another Starfleet alien entered. He was tall, old, had blue skin and two antennae that pointed straight up. She identified him as an Andorian thaan. She had studied files about the Federation, but she had not had much access.

"My name is Captain th'Zasheelt of the Federation star ship USS Nadeshda," the thaan introduced himself.

"My name is Irda," she explained. "Thank you for rescuing me."

He pointed to the seating area, and they both sat down. "I understand that you had been captured and enslaved against your will in the mining colony."

She nodded.

"Would you mind telling me about your history? It is not everyday that we encounter a Vorta clone outside of Dominion space."

"My current version was created a year before the war ended. I am a negotiator-clone meaning that I start trade negotiations with planets inside and outside of Dominion space."

"Were you involved in the war?" he asked, but not in an unfriendly way. That was at least Irda's impression.

"Not directly. I chose locations for Jem'Hadar production and training sites, as well as weapon and ship productions. I ensured that we would get the raw materials needed for our productions."

"And if a people did not want to trade with you?"

Irda hesitated. "The Dominion was used to take what they needed."

"Do you believe it was the Founders' right to rule over the galaxy?"

It was a tricky question, and Irda knew it. She hesitated. "I know that other people do not believe that the Founders are Gods. I believed so. But wouldn't a God have rescued me during my enslavement?"

The answer notably startled the Captain. He had heard of malfunctions of Vorta clones who did not believe in the Founders because of a fault in their DNA. But never had he heard of a Vorta clone who had lost faith. Was that even genetically possible? Was that also why she hadn't committed suicide like expected from her Gods?

"I want you to know that we are not your enemy," he explained, putting a deeper religious discussion aside for now. His antennae stayed straight on his head and did not move. She wondered how long he had trained that. To her knowledge, the antennae could reveal a lot about an Andorian's emotions and state of being.

"Why did you rescue me?" Irda asked. "Will you send me to Earth as a prisoner of war? Will you send me back to my people?"

"As I see it, the war has been over for 24 years. We've had several other battles, wars, and conflicts since then. I believe that one should not forget but move on. What happened between our people is something that happened between our people – 24 years ago. What happens between us is simply a matter of us. And I could use your help."

"My help?" she asked.

"My crew and I, we are new in this part of the quadrant. We are an exploratory vessel. We want to map this region of space and collect information about its systems and inhabitants. We could use you as a guide. You know your way around, don't you?"

She nodded shyly. The years in the mines had changed her more than her genetics would have ever expected her to.

"I would like you to work with my first officer and cartographer. They will show you around on the ship, explain our habits and what we expect of you. I give you a chance, but you will have to adapt to us."

"As long as I do not have to continue working in the mines any longer…" she agreed and nodded.

"Now get some rest. Someone will come and show you around," Captain th'Zasheelt said and got up.

=/\=

"Captain on the bridge," Jo-Al announced when Captain th'Zasheelt entered. Instead of going to his seat though, be leaned against the console next to the Romulan.

"What did you do with my son yesterday?" He paused dramatically but continued when Jo-Al blankly stared at him, raising an eyebrow and reminding him of K'Deel. "He went to bed without a word, he dozed off within minutes. And this morning he slept until half past seven, grabbed a bite of his breakfast and rushed to his class."

Jo-Al opened his mouth to answer, but the Captain held up his hand to stop him. "Don't tell me. I don't want to know. Just continue doing it." With that he walked over to his captain's chair to sit down next to Cmdr Davis.

"Sir, we're picking up a small fleet of vessels on long range sensors. They have altered to intercept course," the Ktarian-Hekaran Ensign Tung Ch'rash informed him.

"Send greeting frequencies," the Captain ordered and looked at the screen where indeed a small armada of six ships appeared.

"They're hailing us."

"Open channel." He stood up. The humanoid seemed to be tall, had green-blue-grey skin and ridges alongside the cheeks pointing towards the mouth. He had three antennae-like horns, which were arranged on a line on his head and behind which a grey hair line started. "I am Captain Tsathelani th'Zasheelt of the exploratory Federation star ship Nadeshda."

"I am Fadool Teka of the Yaderan trade coalition. You have entered our space without permission."

"I am sorry, we did not know we needed permission to cross your space. We are new to this region and am simply passing by," Captain th'Zasheelt replied confused. The obtained star maps had not indicated the whole region to belong to the Yaderans.

"In order to obtain such permission, we ask you to follow us to the Yaderan trading centre on Golgeran VI. Once you have arrived in orbit, we give you coordinates for your five highest ranking officers to beam down. Twenty of my men will beam aboard and search your ship for illegal objects," Fadool Teka replied. He seemed bored with his job and did not twitch a muscle. On the other hand, th'Zasheelt wondered if Yaderans could even twitch a muscle. The connection ended and he sat down again.

"Let's do as he says," he ordered.

Tel plotted in a new course to follow the ships and called a replacement officer for when he would leave his post.

Once they had arrived in orbit, th'Zasheelt put together an away team consisting of him, Lt Cmdr Gohs, Lt Tel, diplomatic officer Seok Vev, and Lt Cmdr K'Deel. "You're in charge," he let his first officer know. "Talk to the delegation that will come aboard and give them a list of our freight. Maybe something needs to be declared in this region."

As soon as the away team had beamed down, five Yaderan materialised on the bridge. They were heavily armed.

"Five people materialising in Engineering, sickbay, the messhole, and the bridge, each," Ensign Ch'rash said.

"Welcome on the Nadeshda," Cmdr Davis greeted them according to Starfleet protocol. She was greeted back by a rifle pointed at her face. The Andorian Lieutenant ch'Hachehl, who had just replaced Lt Cmdr Gohs at the security console, drew his phaser and dropped it on the floor when two rifles were pointed at him.

"We have been complying with everything you asked. We are currently putting together a list of our cargo so that you can inspect it for anything you might find suspicious," Cmdr Davis added.

The tallest Yaderan, who was about thirty centimetres taller than Cmdr Davis, approached her. He had a similar green-grey skin colour like the one the Yaderan they had talked to on the screen. He also had three horn-antennae, but his hair was the same colour as was his skin.

"Command your crew to stand down and assemble in the engine room. Everyone is to leave their post," he ordered.

"Why?" Davis asked and was briskly hit with the grip of the Yaderan's rifle. She fell to the ground, and Jo-Al, who wanted to come to her help, was pushed ungently back by another Yaderan.

"How many crewmen do you have aboard?" the Yaderan in charge asked.

Cmdr Davis did not reply.

"Tell your crew to gather in the engine room," the Yaderan repeated his demand.

Davis nodded and stood up. She wiped away the blood from her nose and pushed the comm button, "Cmdr Davis to all: We're under the intruders' attack. Defend yourselves if possible," she said quickly before she was hit a second time with the grip of the rifle.

"Your ship is now ours," the Yaderan declared. He waved over two others of his species. "Take the bridge crew to the engine room. Help the others to get everyone together. We will then start our search of useful equipment."

The two Yaderan nodded and started pushing the bridge crewmen towards the turbolift.

"We won't fit," Ensign Ch'rash protested, but she was muted by being pushed against the turbolift wall. She felt ch'Hachehl's elbow, Ensign Sima's body weight, and Jo-Al's heavy chest being pushed against he back.

They went down to Deck 17 and had to guide the Yaderan to engineering. Lying or attacking them would do no good. Having arrived, the bridge officers mingled with the other crewmen in the crowded room. Engineering was not as spacious as the Yaderan had thought, and to get a better view, everyone was forced to sit down.

Ch'rash spotted some of her friends as well as the school classes whose children looked all very frightened. The Yaderan forbad anyone to move around, so the parents could not go solace their offspring. She herself was intimidated, but everything had gone so fast that she had had no time to have any emotional reaction. Besides, her Ktarian half always helped her to remain cool in complex situations.

"Where are the Captain and Commander Davis?" she heard Telak whisper behind her. She had not noticed that she was sitting in front of the Cardassian security officer. Ch'rash had actually hoped that some officers would be able to hide from the Yaderan invaders, keeping her hopes high from Lt Cmdr Gohs' team.

"The Captain was lured away for a diplomatic meeting," Lt Cmdr Jo-Al explained. "He and four other crewmen left for talks with the Yaderan. Commander Davis had to remain on the bridge. Apparently, they need someone to steer the ship."

"That might prove difficult," Felis Sima mentioned. The Caitian night shift helmsmen had replaced Lt Tel when he had left on the away mission. All eyes turned to her. Nervously, she admitted, "when the Yaderans beamed aboard with the phaser rifles, I locked the main computer. We will be able to stay in orbit, but not change anything. Also, no system functions can be taken offline. Starfleet protocol, rule 46, paragraph 2: When an unknown, armed alien force enters the ship with unclear intentions, precautions for the security of ship and crew have to be taken."

"Good thinking, Ensign," Jo-Al said, obviously relieving Sima of tension. "Let's just hope this buys us some time."

=/\=

Captain th'Zasheelt and his away team were beamed over to the Yaderan ship. They found themselves in a long corridor, being surrounded at both sides by Yaderan officers. However, they did not seem to have a uniform dress code.

"Follow me," one of them said grumpily and the Starfleet officers followed.

Th'Zasheelt wondered if the Yaderan had different genders or whether he was just too unfamiliar with their species to recognise any differences. Their language seemed strange, but basically every language seemed strange when you did not know any of it. For him, learning Federation Standard English had proven difficult because of the variety of dialect that existed on Earth, let alone the accents of the 200 member planets of the Federation. He was glad that the universal translator had helped him out in every occasion so far.

They were led into a sort of conference room. The metal tables forming an "O" had the same colour as the grey walls. There were several other species present, all chattering. They muted once the door opened.

"We demand to be let free!" one alien with a shimmering skin and hardly any clothes yelled and hit three of his fists onto the table.

"What do you mean?" th'Zasheelt asked before he felt a hard push in his back. He stumbled forwards and turning around he could see the only door closing and locking behind him. "What is going on here?" he asked but immediately regretted the question. All the aliens present started talking at the same time. He sighed, and together with Lt Cmdr Gohs, he stepped towards the conference table, while the other three crewmen stayed silently behind them.

"Silence!" Gohs shouted loudly and heard the translations echo in the room. When everyone's translator had captured her words, the people fell silent, surprised by the strength of a person that small of height. Maybe some of them even recognised her as a female, but Gohs had no idea what species and what genders she affronted.

"Maybe we can talk about our current situation diplomatically," Captain th'Zasheelt suggested. They were obviously the newest additions to the prisoners held in this room.

Most of the people at the table sat down while a tall woman-like alien with silver skin and a black suit with shoulder pads stood up. She had short, brown hair and if her ears weren't as small and round, she could have been a Romulan. "My name is Plaihdo from Tageen. My crew and I," she pointed to four other silver aliens behind her, "have been here the longest. We all have been captured by Admiral Teka and his fleet of pirates. They pretend to be official representatives of the Yaderan Trade Coalition, but they actually abuse the ignorance of foreign crews. As far as we know, they have pillaged our ships and sold our crews. We are still a long way from Yadera, but the nearby planet Golgeran VI is a black market for any illegally obtained objects in the whole sector."

"People are objects," a small, round alien with thick fur and a head like a Klingon Targ interrupted.

Plaihdo only nodded in agreement. "We have not managed to escape. We get food, and we are allowed to use hygiene booths twice a day. But neither I nor any of us have seen the stars for weeks. We don't know why we are kept here while our crews have met who knows what fate." She sat down and the chattering among the captured aliens resumed.

Th'Zasheelt kept his eye contact with the – he would now call her a woman or Sh'za. It was impossible to have thoughts if not admitting speciist naming. She seemed kind but hopeless. He stood up and walked over to her. His diplomatic officer Vev accompanied him.

"I am Captain th'Zasheelt of the Federation starship Nadeshda," he introduced himself. "This is my diplomatic officer Seok Vev," he pointed to the Tellarite who was more than half a meter smaller than himself.

"It is a pleasure of meeting you," Plaihdo answered. "I am sorry that it is under such unfortunate circumstances. You must think of flight, but we have thought about it ourselves more than enough. We stay here all the time unless during sanitation hours. We even have to sleep here. It is tiring and disappointing. We suspect that we are going to be brought somewhere soon. Do you remember the area of space you were captured in?"

"We have left the Chamra Vortex several hours ago. We were heading towards Yaderan. We were still far, that is why I was surprised when Teka hailed us, declaring the region to be under his authority."

Plaihdo chuckled. "It is anything but." She sighed. "My crew was taken near Bopak. That means we are indeed close to the black market zone. I hope we will leave this room soon, I cannot stand any more time with most of them," she nodded over to a group of three different alien species shouting loudly at each other.

"You have not managed to establish working diplomacy," Vev recognised. Unlike most of her species, she had restrained herself from being aggressive and insulting. She often felt ashamed for people of her own kind and hardly ever returned to Tellar. She considered Vulcan her home planet, where she had spent most of her childhood and her career at the diplomatic branch.

"No. We are too many people for that," Plaihdo admitted. "And most of them are not necessarily friendly." She glanced to Tel, Gohs, and K'Deel who were standing at the other side of the table, talking to each other. "Your crew seems to be very heterogeneous. Do you have varying climate on your home planet?" she asked.

"We are all from different planets," th'Zasheelt explained. "We belong to a Federation of over 200 member planets. Our crews are mixed and so is our effort to explore the galaxy. I am from a planet called Andor, while my diplomatic officer is from Tellar."

"Very interesting. My people have not managed to establish any sort of peace agreement in our region. Your people seem to be more advanced."

"We have come a long way. Less than two decades ago, we had the last big war waging in our quadrant, too."

"Tell me about it. There is not much we can do besides get to know each other's stories," Plaihdo said and gestured towards a corner of the room. Th'Zasheelt waved his other officer over and started a new first contact with an unknown species.


End file.
